Yesterday was Mom's 100th chemo. One hundred chemotherapy sessions. One HUNDRED. Seriously. Definitely a milestone that few strive for, but one of epic proportions. One hundred days of treatment. My own voice echoed through the halls of the Oncology Unit as I bragged of this milestone to all who made eye contact with me, manifesting my own cliche..."100 chemos!!! I don't know what she is made of!!" I really don't. Each chemo I've been amazed at how her body rebounds, how her spirit soars to spite the cancer, and how her focus is steady on the goal to live. One hundred chemos. For most people the notion of 100 chemos conjures up images of sickness and frailty, but in this case it couldn't be further from the truth. Not that there aren't rough days and struggles, but I can honestly say that I have never seen such resilience, such strength and such determination as I have in Mom. She has taken on the task of living as her full-time job. It is always so pleasing to me after the first few ragged days of chemo to hear her humming down in the kitchen in the morning while she digs around for a new project to start.
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| Rob and SD in Uppsala, Sweden |
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| Tom and She-Dae |
So what does 100 chemos in three and a half years look like? It looks like a wild toboggan ride down an ice-glazed hill with her son Tom. It looks like four trips to Sweden, a journey into the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, and a pilgrimage across Northern Spain along the Camino trail. It looks like laughing for hours on the phone with her son Rob in Sweden and pep talks from her brother Rod in Pennsylvania. It looks like crossword puzzles by the woodstove and singing all night with her sisters in the back kitchen in Caribou.It looks like a moonlight canoe ride down the Nashwaak and sleeping outside in the gazebo by the brook. It looks like a cup of tea in the sunroom and a crock of baked beans on a Saturday night. It looks like handstands on the beach and reading bedtime stories to her grandkids Clara, Astrid, Joel and Ellie. It looks like guide books, travel brochures and notes strewn across the table plotting the next big sojourns to Sweden, England, Switzerland and Mongolia.
There is no better way to learn about the value of life than to spend time with someone who is fighting for it. I feel honoured to be along for the ride.
